What would you do to make transit service in Winnipeg more functional, reliable and safe for its users? What plans do you have, if any, to reduce car dependency in the city? 

We can reduce our environmental footprint and achieve more affordable transportation for all. We need to expand and make safe our public transit system first. We need a better funding model with the Province. We can study and create more park-and-ride spaces, car-sharing groups, connected bike trails, and safer walking options.  

What do you think the city should be doing to ease the housing and homelessness crisis? What specifically would you change about the city’s current approaches? 

The big picture solutions are accessible housing for all, food security and emergency preparedness.  We need to uphold a mandate to ensure close collaboration between the province, the police/fire services, the front-line community organizations and the lived-experience people themselves.  We need to protect individuals who are temporarily unhoused with the basics of food, water, washroom, phone, shelter and easily accessed emergency services. 

We need a number of different models that could include more 24 hour mobile support services, designated encampment sites with basic amenities, increase in beds available through existing support agencies.  A healthy community is a safe community. 

Public disorder has become a major concern among surveyed voters. How should the city best deal with it? The police budget is a major expense for the city, are people getting value for money?

Winnipeg Police Services must be community-led.  The model of Neighbourhood Watch attempted to create more collaboration between police and the communities they serve.  A broader approach to neighbourhood groups can take on more scope to include food security, emergency preparedness, buddy systems, leadership training, etc.  This can be supported through Community Clubs and funded through the Community Grants Program which needs to be doubled in the coming 4-year budget cycle.  

While poverty and addictions are largely another government’s responsibility, are there ways that you see that the City of Winnipeg could be doing more to solve these issues?   

The municipal government does have a duty of care to all its citizens.  Passing the buck between government levels must end with full commitment to collaborate by all parties.  The city’s budget covers the Winnipeg Police and Fire Services which are being used often to manage the symptoms and not the cause.  Police and Fires services must be better utilized.  The last four-year cycle budget did not include any of the recommendations of the Make Poverty History report.  

Some commitments that are possible are increasing requirements for all city-funded programs to include social enterprises that have socio-economic inclusion as a core business model.  This sector has grown tremendously in the past decade and could grow exponentially with the right supports.  

To end the deadly drug crisis and see that people with addictions and mental health needs are fully met the Province must step up even more that it already has.  But the city can increase capacity with additional social workers and more robust staff training to better support vulnerable people in distress.  

Voters are concerned about the rising cost of living and affordability. What do you see are ways the City of Winnipeg could make life less expensive for residents?

Increase funding for our community centres and libraries so that they can offer more neighbourhood activities – initiate ‘creator spaces,’ support hobby clubs, organize at-cost food sales and distribution, regularly host “fix-it” workshops,  create more community gardens and orchards, offer regular clothing and plant swaps, and many more ways to help people become less reliant on purchasing new goods thus making life more affordable.  

Micro-loans must be considered for homeowners to take advantage of energy-efficient upgrades. 

To address the multiple needs of our communities, we need a City Council that builds on social strengths, creates new resources, and is innovative in long term planning.  We need to unite people using positive values.